Today's Astrology Forecast | Sunday, February 16, 2020 - Mars into capricorn, Mercury stations retrograde - swimming with the sharks, dreaming backward

Big changes in the skies today as Mars moves into Capricorn (through March 30th) - a space he is exalted, but also this year, the temporary home of some other VERY big players whose footsteps he is following, making Mars in Cappy, for maybe the first time in our lifetimes - a small fish in a very big (and complicated) pond.

At the same time we have Mercury stationing retrograde at 12 degrees Pisces - ready to back over the degrees she/he didn't get to do a do-over with last year. Mercury will be retrograde until March 9th.

At first glance these are paradoxical influences - our actions (Mars) moving FORWARD, into what some might call "shark-infested" waters at exactly the time our thinking (Mercury) - which we might think needs to sharp as a laser beam right now for us to survive - is moving BACKWARD; drifting and unfocused. 

This sounds like a recipe for disaster, we'll make a rather tasty lunch for one of those sharks we have circling.

But, if we really think it through, taking into consideration this thinking is being done using a brain in Pisces - this is all starting to make perfect sense. Like the drunk man who survives the car crash - we don't tense up, our reaction time slows down, we don't "brace for impact".

(An old EMT customer once told me, and it makes perfect sense to me and, so, although I have forgotten a  gazillion things over the years this has always stuck with me - if you are driving and can see a collision/impact coming, it's important to stay in a relaxed state, don't try to control your body, don't grab for anything.)

Now as Mercury stations retrograde - and keep in mind the start of the retrograde itself sets up an event chart that gives some indication of what we can expect over the next couple weeks - she semi-squares Saturn and then the Moon (in Sag now, have I said that yet?) squares her/him - Mercury is androgynous, and I like to switch pronouns now and then to keep us all awake.

So, the semi-square could be viewed as a problem up ahead - all things being equal, if we continue going the way we are going. The problem will be Saturnian - so with limits, authority, responsibilities, deadlines, goals, etc. But this is just a semi-square, so a kind of heads-up, we aren't totally lined up with this.

The Moon's square to Mercury, on the other hand, is here now - tension/frustration. This is a Sagittarian square - so maybe a challenge with what we believe or maybe with a burdensome fact. Or maybe an actual Sagittarian situation, or the theme of our natal Sag house, is drifting off course and requiring us to look backward (legal, media, foreign issue, education, travel, politics, wedding, etc).

And as with all Mercury retrogrades - we do the "re's" - re-think, re-do, re-examine, re-search, re-peat, reunion, reminisce, re-vise, re-move, re-visit, relax - this time focused on whatever is happening in our Pisces house.

The stuff we have done/said hastily or from too detached a space when Mercury was in Aquarius, will now be re-analyzed and gone over from a more intuitive/emotional vantage point.

Situations and people from our past can show up because we are looking backward.

Pisces rules our collective 12th house where there is no separation between us and everything else. There is no time. There is no space. This is where we find God/spirit/the Universe.

The positive expressions of Piscean energy include - connection, imagination, music, art, empathy, compassion, healing, spirituality, transcendence of the physical world. The negative expressions of any energy are really the positive expressions taken to an extreme. So imagination becomes delusion/lies, empathy become martyrdom, transcendence (lack of physical connection) becomes addiction, escapism, mental illness. Pisces is the last house - it rules endings and the things we do last. Because the 12th house is behind the 1st house (our physical self) - it rules what is behind us, what is done behind our back, what we have put away, our past, the things we have forgotten, memory, our ancestors, sleep, charities, prisons, hospitals, illness.

Mechanical stuff can encounter glitches. Rushing around will only result in stubbed toes, stressed out interactions and dents in our car

(I once had three car accidents in a month when Mercury was retrograde, two of them in my own driveway!).

Something isn't quite ready for prime-time. Here's another chance to get it right.

Taking our time with important decisions, hesitating, being unsure of which direction to take, needing to think things through slowly and carefully and taking the time to listen and allow things to fall into place in their own right timing - are par for the course now.

This is not the best time to plow full steam ahead, but, yes, Mars is in Capricorn and there will be some plowing!

This is not the best time to sign a contract, because things will come to light later that require revisions or our thinking (Mercury) can change after Mercury moves direct (in March).

Now, sometimes things can't wait and contracts and papers must be signed and if that is the case - this would be a good time to READ THE FINE PRINT. No skimming. Get a lawyer or maybe better yet get a psychic - if they have any kind of game at all, they should be on top of it now - the psychic I mean, the lawyer will probably miss stuff, too. I would get one anyway though.

Use clear spoken and written language - and this won't be easy with Mercury moving backward through Pisces - we need to be doubly sure people are understanding what we are saying and that we are understanding other people, because wires get crossed now. And people will lie and maybe not even know they are lying. Secrets/behind door dealings will come out, but first they will be HIDDEN.

Double check that email before hitting 'send'. Mercury, the fleet footed messenger, rules things that are fast moving from our computers to our cars. BACK UP YOUR FILES. Check your oil.

Pisces is a water sign. We are going to be feeling what people are saying.

We will be more intuitive. Other people will be, too. On the other hand, our ability to "trust our gut" is dependent on what we have been putting in it. If we have just eaten a Big Mac and downed a Coca-Cola and we are thinking we know that this other person is telling us the "truth" or that some decision we are making is the right decision based more on feelings than facts, I would sleep on the whole thing and give that stuff - the words and the food - a couple days to digest ... first.

Mercury/Pisces confusion is a collective thing. So we will all be sucked into it, BUT keep in mind your natal Pisces house has ALWAYS been the part of your chart where your boat isn't so tightly tethered to the dock. This isn't a rock-solid, stable area of life for you anyway. Mercury will bring your attention here, and his retrograde behavior will bring the need to revise, re-think, etc, but it's not like she is coming into a neat and orderly place and kicking up a mess.

And the fact that we had a Mercury in Pisces retrograde just last year covering the later Pisces degrees and now we have one this year covering the early Pisces degrees tells us Pisces, as a collective energy, demands a thorough RE-IMAGINING.

Now, this is what is happening in the physical world, but there is another level we are all working with, and in this higher level, in the ethereal realms, something else is happening.
 
We are surrendering, allowing, receiving (Pisces) a new way of thinking/communicating (Mercury).
 
Mercury is doing a back and forth over our "divine wound", the ground Chiron just spent the last few years triggering. This is the space of shame, victimization, betrayal, grief, loss of faith and self-sabotage AND also the space of healing connection.
 
This retrograde, happening at the same time Mars will cross the South Node and Neptune will sextile Jupiter, is truly a divine intervention.
 
We are listening to higher frequencies. We are reminded of our old dreams, our past life stories and the stories of our ancestors (both helpful and hindering) that were passed on to us to see what we could do with them!
 
The past and all that has been forgotten in that 12th house - is given a voice (Mercury) now. 
 
Our mind is going all spiritual ninja on us.

It will be important to stay attuned to what our body needs while our mind is thinking it's 5:00 somewhere.

We will need more sleep. We might need a couple days of escape. Let's schedule some rest/relaxation into our calendar now, so we have something to look forward to. Just keep in mind with Mercury retrograde our plans will need to stay flexible, and if traveling, it is best to re-turn to a place we have been before.

We are going to need to drink more water. We can more easily catch colds and things, so do whatever it is you do to try to prevent that. We are going to need to meditate or do some mindfulness exercises. Time spent outdoors, and with grounded animals and plants (and babies!) will be time well-spent. We will be very sensitive to music while Mercury is retrograde in Pisces (and song lyrics and tunes will get stuck in our heads).

Note for people with addiction issues and for people who love people with addiction issues - this Mercury retrograde in Pisces might be treacherous, but also exactly the energy needed for a true breakthrough/healing. 

***

With Mars in Cappy the work we do will pay off over time. We will be more ambitious and goal-oriented. We need to be serious about what we are doing. Maybe put on a second pair of big girl/boy pants over the first pair until the end of March.

With a retrograde Mercury in Pisces we will be looking/thinking back to our old dreams, our old imaginings. The past will be on our mind. Our thinking will be more fluid, more intuitive.

This will somehow turn out to be most useful in our Mars in Capricorn, shark infested waters. We'll talk about all of this as we move through it.

xo all

artwork by the talented stellartcosica

Today's Astrology Forecast | Saturday, February 15, 2020 - dream, rest, some frustration later on, logic vs passion, going deeper with something, and a mystery solved

Tonight (5:20PM EST), we have the Moon in deep and probing Scorpio squaring the Aquarius Sun (this month's waning square) and sextiling Saturn (in Cappy) - all at 26 degrees.

Maybe something needing to come up and be dealt with that the Aquarius Sun has kept us comfortably detached from will be activated via tension/frustration/a challenge as the Moon squares the Sun from deep and probing Scorpio
 
Emotions could get intense.

Aquarius/Scorpio is cool headed logic vs passion. Merging vs staying on the outside looking in.

If there is something we haven't wanted to see/feel - something we have wanted to stay comfortable numb from - this would be the part of our monthly cycle when it comes up to be dealt with. The time when we have to feel it. Maybe a decision needs to be made about how far involved we get with something/someone. These are both fixed signs, so people could be dug in.

The Moon's smooth and opportunistic sextile to Saturn tells us there is a way to work with this/stabilize things here.

And that the very square itself though frustrating and challenging IS stabilizing things. Limits and structure and patience are our friend. Living up to a responsibility. Doing it right. Our big girl/boy pants need to be on all the time this year.

And this does NOT mean we stay in a situation that is suffocating because Aquarius square Scorpio is also the time we need to cut stuff loose!

With Mercury in Pisces and ready to station retrograde tomorrow feeling a bit un-moored from the dock is par for the course. The Moon will go void off that Sun square and then move into Sagittarius at 11:07PM EST.

Allow yourself some extra rest today and the time to dream and drift around a bit .... the astro shifts rather intensely tomorrow.

More in the weekly HERE.

****

I know quite a few people who read my blog study astrology, too, so I thought this might be interesting.

A few months ago I was asked if it would be possible to use astrology to look into the disappearance of a beautiful, twenty-five year old local woman.

Out of respect for her and her family we will call her Sue.

Sue had gone out with her family to a show. She returned to her parents' house, kissed her mom good-bye and drove home (actually the house of her grandmother where she was staying after her grandmother's death to care for her grandmother's dogs).

On her way home she posted a Snapchat.

The next day she did not show up for work at her nanny job (it was also payday) and never replied to her friends' and family's texts and calls. Her father said, "she doesn't go to the store without telling someone about it" and that normally Sue would text her family four or five times a day.

Her worried parents reported her missing to police that night (so the night after they last saw her) through a 911 call made by her mother.

Since there is no way to make a chart for the exact time she disappeared - since this is unknown - we have to use what we do know. 

A forensic astrology group online had looked into the case using a chart cast for the time of that last Snapchat (kind of as a 'last seen' chart), so I thought I would use a chart for the moment (close to exact) that her mother had called 911 and reported Sue missing.

This would be an official kind of 'time stamp' chart associated with the crime (if there was one).

Let's unpack the chart.

We see that pile-up of planets in the area of a chart ruling things that are outside our control/fate. We see alot very intensely grouped together.

We see Gemini rising - Gemini is ruled by Mercury (communication) and Mercury here is conjunct Venus (a young woman), so there is communication about a young woman. There is a Ceres/Moon opposition to the Gemini rising (mother/home/stolen daughter), so I can see the chart is accurately depicting the 911 call and what her mother is thinking/feeling as she makes that call.

But can we see something about what happened to Sue from this chart, too? Can we see anything about the event that 'inspired' the 911 call?

We will start with the ascendant and the Sun (both represent Sue here, the Moon can also represent the event chart 'person' but with the Moon here conjunct the descendant I see it more reflective of something happening at the home) and their oppositions/aspects (what happened to Sue/the perpetrator if there is one).

The Sun is in Scorpio in the 5th house and I know that Sue had just left a fun night out and one of the things the 5th house rules is fun and recreation. The 5th house also rules children and we know Sue was supposed to work with children the next day, so we have the Sun snuggled between those activities - the one that just happened and the one that was interrupted (that Uranus opposition). I don't have Sue's birth data to connect this chart to her natal, so we'll just plow on with what we have.

Scorpio is ruled by both Pluto and Mars (ancient ruler).

So, we look to see that they are up to.

Pluto is in the 8th house (death) and Mars (violence) is in the same house as her Sun and Mars is in Libra the sign of partnership. My heart kind of sank when I saw this because I am thinking this chart might be showing that Sue has died at the violent hands of a partner - taken from her home and from her mother (that Moon/Ceres opposition) to her death.

But I am also thinking this chart - since it represents the 911 call so well - could just be what her mother is thinking at that time, so I'm not sure.

We can see Uranus (break-ups/unexpected chaos) is opposite the Sun - the Sun (Sue) is past the opposition, so I am thinking the breakup/unexpected chaos - the precipitating event, probably with the partner (since we have Libra ruling the house the Sun resides in) happened sometime before whatever happened to Sue. Within a few days - maybe four days before.

Or maybe I was seeing the disruptive event had happened to Sue before her mother's call to 911.

The ascendant (Sue) is in Gemini, and usually a Gemini ascendant in an event chart like this would indicate two people or two connecting events or two of something, so I am wondering if there are actually two victims?

Or maybe Sue was a natal Gemini? Or had a strong Gemini - communicative/adaptable nature? She might look like the Gemini archetype - delicate, quick, bright eyed, brown hair, funny or a good talker, maybe under 29 (which we know she is, but often Gemini in an event chart indicates someone youthful).

We'll find out later what this Gemini thing is all about (not that it is just one thing, we know something in a chart is important because it will show up multiple times or represent multiple things).

The descendant, and by now I am thinking this is a crime and the descendant is the perpetrator - shows him and shows what he has done to Sue (the ascendant). If we look at the chart above, the descendant is literally dividing the Moon from Ceres - Sue from her home and mother. The Ceres archetype is one of the mother whose daughter was stolen by Pluto and taken into the underworld.

The descendant is in Sagittarius and the ruler of Sag, Jupiter, is conjunct the Moon and Ceres! So maybe this person is a Sag or looks/acts like a Sag male - maybe stocky, but strong, maybe brown hair, a high forehead, maybe a big talker/know-it-all - or he is acting out in a negative Jupiterian manner. Things are very over-blown, not well-thought out, he is mostly acting on impulse. Not thinking about consequences.

The 7th house ruler Jupiter is squaring Eris, so likely the perpetrator is angry. Feels backed into a corner. Not in control of the ascendant (Sue). Feeling left out/explosive, and again that Jupiter is just making everything BIGGER

(also this shows why the media which is ruled by Jupiter picked up this case and why it became such a big news story here).

Jupiter is in his home sign giving the perpetrator here the advantage of strength and luck (for now anyway, because we can see Jupiter is nearing the end of Sag and I suspect his luck will eventually run out in Capricorn and it does). I don't think this is something the perpetrator was exactly planning to do, but I do think the chart has multiple aspects indicating a karmic storyline playing out.

I thought the square from Jupiter (the perpetrator) to Neptune indicated he might self-sabotage himself and get caught or his lies would trip him up. Prison might stop him. Maybe he was on drugs/alcohol/steroids at the time of the crime. I wondered if he had an ancestor who had killed or kidnapped someone. Stolen someone from their mother ....

There was alot we couldn't really know just from the chart.

Still, we could probably make some guesses and assumptions (and yes, I know what that can get us!) to see if we can tell what might have happened to Sue.

We know she got home that night because her car was at her house.

The Moon on the descendant (remember the descendant is the perpetrator) suggests he comes to her house or was there when she got there. Then probably he takes her away (Sag rules travel) from her home (the Moon). With Mercury (ruling Sue) in one of her/his home houses (the 6th) it feels like Sue started out on her home turf.

And with Mercury, the ruler of the ascendant (Sue) and Jupiter, the ruler of the descendant (the perpetrator) both in the 6th house it suggests they leave the house together. With Mercury ruling the direction of north-west, I wondered if he had taken her somewhere north-west.

I was wondering if she might still be in a car (that Gemini ascendant/ Mercury/Venus conjunction and Gemini ruling transportation). I was wondering if she might have been suffocated (Gemini rules lungs) or strangled. I thought with Gemini ruling the local neighborhood and being an air sign, maybe she wasn't very far away, maybe she was in the open air ...or in a car trunk.

The thought of her in a car trunk somewhere kept me up at night!

*****

Anyway, a couple months after Sue disappeared, her ex-boyfriend, who had long been a suspect, and was mentioned to the police by her mother in that 911 call, committed suicide (that Neptune square!) which explained the Gemini ascendant's indication of two victims - not that he was a victim, but he did die at his own hands, too. The suicide note he left his family, which did not include an actual confession, although he did say "most of what they would hear about him was true", certainly showed his over-the-top personality and that he considered himself a victim in this matter.

(and just like what always seems to happen in these cases - his mother considers him innocent still, making me think that the Jupiter (remember he is Jupiter here) Moon/Ceres conjunction speaks also of his escape from her into the underworld)

Two weeks ago, Sue's body was found by two young men walking down a local highway (both the local highway, the two men and their ages represented by Gemini). It was kind of unbelievable that hundreds of searches hadn't found her sooner, but now at last her family could have some kind of closure. I haven't had the heart to look at his suicide chart or her recovery chart ...

Anyway, I don't usually do this kind of post, but I thought it was interesting the way the chart so well represented both the 911 call from her mother and the events that had inspired her call.

It reminded me of how a baby's birth chart can so accurately reflect both the baby and the parent's life at the time the baby was born (and their lives leading up to that moment).

There is alot we will never know - exactly how Sue died and what happened that night. There is alot of information Sue's ex-boyfriend took to his grave (that 8th house ruler indicating dark secrets, too), but it seemed quite a bit of the crime 'time stamp' chart from the 911 call was accurate -

they both looked quite a bit like the chart indicated they would and she was found north-west of her home, just a few miles away in the open air along the side of the road ...

And today's Moon (as I finish this up) is almost precisely where the Sun was when the 911 call was made. 

xo all

(have you backed up those files?)

photo by the talented Avine

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday, February 13, 2020 - choices around love and money, what new passion is pulling us forward, life is like #allcaps "look over here"

The Moon continues her journey through Libra - squaring Pluto at 9:20AM EST, trining the Sun at 10:15AM EST, squaring Saturn at 1:46PM EST and going void at 4:40PM EST off a sextile to Mars.

So we have a nice trine to the Sun mid morning just as the Pluto tension starts to unwind (power play, transformation, issues with Plutonian themes - sex, death, birth, rebirth, taxes, insurance, inheritance, other people's money/resources, the ways and things we merge with others). Then we move into that Saturn square - this could bring limits, the feeling of being overloaded/out-of-time, or stressed over goals, with authority, etc.

Her final move is a sextile to Mars, at the end of Sagittarius. Adventure, going wide with something - maybe that square to Saturn helped us get clear on what we need to do to get what we want.

The Moon will be void from 4:40PM EST through 7:37PM EST when she dives into Scorpio.

Today, is also the day Venus, moving through early Aries, squares the North Node in Cancer and the South Node in Capricorn.

This is us, stumbling across one of those paths that divide in the woods, or coming up on one of those freeway mergers where just a one lane change will land us in a whole different state. Squares brings tension, frustration and challenges. Squares to the nodes bring choice points through tension, frustration and challenges.

And keep in mind, not making a choice is still making a choice with this aspect. 

Maybe a new passion (Aries!), a new sense of ourselves, the antsy need for a fresh start will bring us to the point where the old, although maybe somewhat comfortable because our bodies are made to crave what is familiar above all else and Venus in Aries is very much in her physical body - but maybe here is where we come to the space where we feel so blocked in and desirous of something ELSE that we can make a more authentic, self-nurturing choice. It feels less secure to go with what is new - but if that new is more home-centered/more emotionally driven (and not driven by our ambitions), then the nodes tell a different story.

BML is in early Aries, too and we had the Libra Moon move through these degrees yesterday and Mars is soon to conjunct all our Cappy ambitions - we don't want to have our ladder leaning against the wrong wall!

What do we want? What do we need?

What is happening in our life and within our hearts RIGHT NOW is letting us know what we can expect with the future of our relationships/finances - is our current trajectory still working?

The waning Moon (and Mercury walking his retrograde degrees) tells us it is not really the time for big changes, but it is the time for thinking/planning - what are our values now? What are our priorities? What do we want? What feels good? Imbalances  are being made visible. Are we taking care of ourselves?!

An inner planet's contact to the Nodes is a time to take note of what is going on/being said/read, etc, there are clues we might have missed before, adjustments needed - and this is a square, so our attention here comes through tension/frustration/challenges - which sounds like a bad thing, but actually makes it less likely to be missed and more likely we will take action! 

Everything counts here. Everything matters. 

With Mercury in Pisces for the long slog, not everything will be above-board, visible or in our hands. But this also means we have access to our ancestors, to magic, to the stuff we have forgotten, to what that guy standing next to us knows, but doesn't even know he knows.

What is going on with our relationships, with fairness and balance in our life, with our money and resources, with our values and self-esteem, with our physical appearance? What needs a change here? A change that will move us toward something more comfortable (not because it is familiar, but because it is soothing) and more authentic. 

Life is speaking to us through our present circumstances. 

It's a time for flexible plans, giving our attention to what comes to our attention and making choices.

xo all

photo by the talented gHopson

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - needs vs wants, the old vs the new, too much or too little, keeping our balance, a turning point

The Moon continues her journey through Libra - nurtured through balance, fairness, love, peace. She opposed Venus at 3:06AM EST (we talked about this yesterday for last night) and will square Jupiter at 8:53PM EST.

In between she squared the North (Cancer) and South (Capricorn) Nodes at 7 degrees, which is what Libran ruler Venus is going to do tomorrow. 

The Moon opposing Venus is something like what we need (the Libra stuff - cooperation, to feel loved, for things to feel fair and just, to partner) vs what we want (the Aries stuff - independence, initiative, passion, to be first). Maybe we vs me. Partnering up vs doing it ourselves. This can also show up as tension/frustration via our natal chart's Libra and Aries house themes.

Venus, in her detriment in Aries and opposing her own Moon complicates things.

After the opposition the Moon moves into her square to the Nodes of Fate - setting up tomorrow's path for Venus - so this is likely all one thing. Or generally all one thing. Squares to the nodes are crossroads - are we sticking with the old stuff or moving toward something new.

This, too, is complicated by the Moon's square to Jupiter, in between the Moon squaring the Nodes and Venus squaring the Nodes.

Libra/Venus is about balance and Jupiter is all "go big or go home". We could - since this may be playing out within our relationships or our resources/money -  overextend ourselves/give too much or on the flip-side want too much from someone/something else.

That square to Jupiter (in serious Cappy) could also bring us to a peak with this turning point via a commitment.

At the same time, Mercury walking degrees he/she will walk two more time in Pisces, is semi-square Saturn. Our thinking could be more creative/imaginative/spiritual than realistic/practical now. The semi-square to sober-headed Saturn warns of a "fly in the ointment" we can't see from our perch in the here and now - maybe he's tucked himself under the lid somewhere taking a nap. This isn't intended to stop us, just something to take note of, since we have the gift of astrological foresight - a possible "no" or limit later that could require an adjustment. But keep in mind Mercury in Pisces can stir up unconscious/and very old stuff - so we don't want to imagine problems that aren't even there!

xo all

See more in the weekly HERE

photo by the talented YouAreViolentRed

Today's Astrology Forecast | Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - get it done early, practical and ambitious action, afternoon void moon after some tension, bringing everyone to the table

Get up and get it done early. 

The Moon is in earthy, organized and level-headed Virgo, a sign that is making nice with those sober and ambitious Cappy planets - she trines Pluto at 8:35AM EST, then Saturn at 12:36PM EST before going void off a square to Mars (in Sag) at 1:25PM EST.

She will then be void (so chill!) until 6:37PM EST when she moves into Libra for the next couple days.

It should be smooth sailing early in the day with our Cappy/Virgo themes - paperwork, work, co-workers, employees, pets, our health, day-today activities, career, commitments, authorities, our goals and ambitions.

Great for taking action and getting practical and serious stuff accomplished.

The square to Mars in the early afternoon could make situations a bit more tense. We could be feeling more critical or pushed to our limit with something.

The Moon's void would be a good time to take a break. It would NOT be the time to launch anything brand new if we want something to come of it. Either nothing will or we will somehow find ourselves having to do it all over again. Good for the stuff we do all the time (again and again anyway). Time will get stretchy. Things can go a bit sideways.

Tonight the Libra Moon will turn our attention to partnership matters, our relationships, bringing something into balance or making something more beautiful or more fair.

In general a Libra Moon is good for compromise/teamwork and socializing. 

As the night moves on, the Moon in Libra will be building toward an opposition with Venus (Libra's ruler) in "me, me me", "I want it now" Aries very late night EST (could feel this more tomorrow morning), so something to keep in mind if looking for any late night cooperation - which might be hard to find!

With Black Moon Lilith here, too, the needs of each person must be heard - remember we talked in one of the 2020 posts about the need to bring everyone to the table this year - or that table is going to get flipped (think Real Housewives New Jersey circa 2009) and there goes dinner ...

We also have Venus (who is uber active this week) sextiling (opportunity) Ceres in Aquarius at 4 degrees. Again the need to bring all voices to the table - to nurture our groups and friendships. The Aquarius/Aries sextile emphasizes individualism/innovation/groups and courage/independence. Venus/Ceres emphasize love, mothering, resources, our values, self-esteem, things that feel outside our control, cycle of life issues. The 'opportunity' will likely come from giving everyone the space to be themselves and taking that space for ourselves, too.

Mercury will station retrograde on Sunday at 12 degrees Pisces (back up your files - Carbonite is super easy and inexpensive - it took me 2 days running 24/7 to back up 85000 files - whew).

Watch for inspiration and intuition to come in as she/he grinds to a halt this week and strengthens.

And watch your language. 

I have a relative with his natal Mercury in Pisces who has at least a dozen colds/allergies a year. He speaks of 'his illness' as part of him all the time (my sinus infection, my allergy, my cold, etc). With our collective Mercury in Pisces - we want to watch for the ways our language might muddy the lines between ourselves and an illness or ourselves and the past/an addiction, etc. With a LONG Mercury in Pisces season ahead of us, we don't want to blur the boundaries between ourselves and something we don't want!

See more in the weekly HERE.


xo all

photo by the talented cahilus

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of February 10th, 2020 - love hurts, issues around our self-worth and finances, a crossroads, ambitious actions, big girl/boy pants on, mercury retrograde

Sorry I didn't get the monthly up. Still hoping to make time for that - but let's dig into the week ahead in the meantime!

Buckle up and BACK UP THOSE FILES RIGHT NOW ...

MONDAY - Venus conjunct Chiron
THURSDAY - Venus square North Node/South Node, Mars on Galactic Center
FRIDAY - 3rd Quarter Moon in Scorpio
SUNDAY - Mars into Capricorn, Mercury stations retrograde

We begin the week unwinding from our annual Leo Full Moon - who has the center stage and who doesn't? Who is living from their heart? What has culminated/reached a peak? The Leo Full Moon is always a reminder to step forward with what we came to do - no more hiding out in the audience. The Oscars is always so well-timed, isn't it? A little, or alot, of Leonine inspiration, just when we need it!

On MONDAY, Venus, in early Aries, is going to meet wounded healer Chiron.

We could be dealing with hurts and imbalances around our value, our worth, our self-esteem, our money, maybe our ability to take care of ourselves and stand on our two feet or just be ourselves. Maybe love hurts. Or we have to be brave enough to allow ourselves to be vulnerable!

Situations provoking self-doubt or requiring us to work through issues around self-worthiness might surface. Aries energy can be impulsive and hot-headed, so we want to take care with fiery words and actions we won't be able to take back.

This doesn't mean we sit on uncomfortable situations, stuffing our own (or someone else's) anger into our cells - the gold is always found tucked beneath the dragon, keep in mind. Sometimes things need to come up and out. It might pay off though to think/talk it through with a third party before any shots are fired from the hip.

Chiron/Venus in Aries forms a natural opposition to Libra, so this could be a time when the other people in our lives, and the people we meet, who have the energetic frequencies that can easily re-wound us (trigger our early wounding/past life wounds/familial karma), will do just that. It can be painful, but this is the path to self-love.

And yes, it will be strewn with roses and thorns.

Big girl pants on.

Mercury will be sextiling smart Pallas, so we can find (or absorb) the words and ideas that are strategic and wise if we take a breath and reach/search for them.

On THURSDAY, Venus (in Aries) squares the North Node in Cancer at 7 degrees (and at the same time the South Node in Capricorn at 7 degrees).

Any square to the nodes triggers a CHOICE (although it can sometimes feel more like our back is against the wall) via tension/frustration - we can stay with the South Node - what needs to be completed/the past, in this case CAPRICORN - so our Cappy house theme or the collective theme of our career, work in the world, our goal, old rules, our ambitions OR we can move toward what needs to be developed/the future, in this case CANCER - so our Cancer house theme or the collective theme of home, family, mothering, mom, real estate, home business, family business, what feels more authentic to who we really are and more emotionally satisfying.

With Venus in warrior-mode in fiery Aries - whatever we do will likely require courage and initiative, maybe even acting alone which Venus doesn't really like to do since she is a partnership sign, but in Aries she (as us) can make this stuff work.

At the same time Mars (Aries ruler) is at the very end of Sagittarius, so crossing the Galactic Center on his way into Capricorn at the end of the week. Things are different now. We can't unsee what we see. We can't have what we lost. We can no longer avoid what we need to do. So, what are we going to do?

On FRIDAY, the Scorpio Moon will square the Aquarius Sun.

This is the Moon between the Full Moon and the New Moon - she will rise at midnight, peak at dawn and set at noon. Here we have that deep-diving and truth-seeking, often to the point of being uncomfortable, Scorpio Moon squaring off against our detached and analytical Aquarius Sun.

Our Leo Full Moon agenda is unwinding/waning. Scorpio/Aquarius are fixed signs, so we are probably dug in, ankles deep, in something here. We need to shift/adjust - we need to evolve. Neither of these planets are happy/strong in these signs, so there is no natural flow here/no natural winner - this could be quite stressful. And, yes, this is Valentine's Day :) The Moon will make some nice aspects though!

On SUNDAY, things start to really shift and get even MORE INTENSE for most of the rest of the month and well into March, as first, Mars moves into Capricorn - where he is exalted and on a path toward his destiny, and, second, Mercury stations retrograde in Pisces (for the second year in a row) where she/he is in her detriment.

Mars in Capricorn wants a PLAN. Mars is extremely effective in Capricorn (answering to Saturn), kind of the way a hot-head tossed into the serious, structure of the military can thrive. In Capricorn, Mars (as us) has goals and deadlines - he can't be just mucking around town causing trouble.

Our actions (Mars) are ambitious (Capricorn). Our results come over time. With Mars in Capricorn if we make some serious commitments and apply some serious discipline, we can make some SERIOUS PROGRESS.

Again big girl pants on.

Now, we know Capricorn is a sober (maybe I would add dangerous) space right now because both Pluto and Saturn and the south Node and Jupiter are all in Capricorn.

And Mars is going to hit, not only the January eclipse degree and the Saturn/Pluto degrees from January, while he is in Capricorn, he is going to meet Pluto (and then Saturn after they both move into Aquarius), so we know our actions are going to have CONSEQUENCES.

Mars is also going to meet the South Node in Capricorn (exact on February 26th, but in play once Mars gets into Cappy) which hasn't happened since mid-September 2001 (yes, that September 2001!), so the stakes are VERY high while Mars is in Capricorn this year.

Some of the good news though, I think, because Neptune is hard to read and Jupiter expands everything, is we have a waxing sextile (opportunity) between Neptune in Pisces and Jupiter in Capricorn (exact on Monday).

If - and I am talking about the collective here - nothing goes terribly wrong now and over the next few weeks, THIS WILL PROBABLY BE THE REASON.

We have to have faith. We have to hold onto our dreams and our connection to each other and to something bigger than ourselves.

I don't want to be a fearmonger with the 9/11 references and I am definitely not saying another 9/11 will happen, but the next couple weeks with Mars on and near the South Node could be kind of gnarly. Because the chickens can come home to roost. Keep in mind this isn't the same as Mars crossing your personal South Node (unless it is) - which yes, might rip you a new one. These are collective energies. Some people will be more impacted than others.

The South Node almost always activates uncanny reminders of the past. Groundhog days. From this lifetime, from our past lives, from the familial DNA we carry. With Mars, very strong and stable in Capricorn, we are here now to make better, more responsible choices. If we are just repeating our old behaviors, we will just be getting the same results. Watch out for instinctive, in-grained responses that didn't work last time.

Just keep in mind there are positive energies, too, to help us through whatever this is. There is always help. Always.

That gold under the dragon thing again.

By the time Mars leaves Capricorn at the end of March if we put in the necessary work and end the stuff that isn't working anymore/is blocking our new path - we could be amazed at what we have accomplished.

SUNDAY is also the day Mercury stations retrograde at 12 degrees Pisces (we had this retrograde at the end of Pisces last year, so now we get the re-do's with the degrees we missed last year!).

Another look is needed. We missed something. The "i's" are not dotted (and no, hearts don't count). Maybe there is a "t" left uncrossed, somewhere back in chapter seven. Everything is not the way we thought it was. The truth shifts. Our reality shifts.  

We have to re-think this!

And we have to re-think this with a brain that is frying on the sidewalk. 

We are going to have to DOUBLE CHECK everything.

And yes, it makes me tired to hear this, too. I want ease and comfort and somebody to tuck me in and read me a bedtime story ... and someone to finish this annoying jigsaw puzzle that is taking up my entire coffee table with its excessive amounts of baby poop colored browns and winter-dreary grays.

What do we really know?

Keep assumptions to a minimum because we could be looking through rose colored glasses now (or baby-poop colored glasses - things won't be quite as good or quite as bad as they seem). Boundaries are blurry. It can get harder to stay in our own lane. Answers only bring more questions. Avoid alcohol and drugs under this aspect because the effects will be magnified.

Mercury is going to make a sh*tload of aspects during her retrograde and at the same time Mars is going to make a sh*tload of aspects as he moves over this loaded Cappy stuff.

Something big is happening. We are going to be back and forth and all over the place with something.

Basically at just the time we need to know what we are doing, we aren't going to know what we are doing. And we are probably still going to have to do it.

A karmic re-balancing is happening - yes, again or still, or however you want to think of this - this time through the early Cappy and early Pisces degrees. The stuff we missed last year or maybe another shot at some of that stuff that we mis-handled or avoided. 

There is no stopping this ... and please don't try, because you are just going to have to do this all over again (or your children or their children will) and you will just be holding the rest of us up (not exactly, but since Pisces is also connected with 'guilt' I thought I'd toss that in there). The Age of Pisces is ended (ending) - the Age of Aquarius is here (coming). By the time Pluto moves into Aquarius in 2023, we will have already had Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius - everything is going to be different. Everything.

If we can release the need to try to control how this whole thing works this is going to go a whole lot easier.

Just do your part and you'll know what that is because it will be right in front of you. We'll flesh this all out in some dailies when we factor in the Moons.

xo all

photo by the talented VasiDragos

Full Moon in Leo | February 9, 2020 - recharging our batteries, finding the courage and initiative to make the first move, something from out of left field, allowing ourselves to feel the love and really shine, talking about the future, paying attention

At 2:33AM EST on February 9th (Saturday night) the Leo Moon will oppose the Aquarius Sun giving us this month's Full Moon - our annual Full Moon in fiery Leo.

Full Moon are always oppositions. The Sun and the Moon are on opposite sides of the earth or more precisely the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon are 180 degrees apart.

Full Moons bring things to a culmination, a conclusion or into the light. 

Leo is represented by the lion. A lion is a cat. If you live with a cat you have some idea of what this 'king of the beasts' thing is all about. It becomes the cat's house. You become the cat's human. Cats rule. The male lion doesn't just get to mate with his choice of lioness. He gets all the lionesses.

(and now I am picturing a whole lineup of that little guy from Peanuts dragging his blanket)

Leo represents royalty and generosity and fun and romance and children and creativity.

The shadow of the Leo archetype is a kind of arrogance or greed or self-importance, but what you will find with most Leos is that they have a presence - they impress us. Sometimes it's hard for other people to relate to Leo as "one of us".

There is a reason the king of the jungle is the king of the jungle.

There is dignity here.

Leo rules the space we are meant to shine through self expression, so yes, the energy needs a lot of attention and needs to feel special and, yes, Leo cares what other people think.

And because there is a need to leave a legacy here, things can get overblown.

Leo has trouble with 'humble' (hence this energy leads us to the next sign - the 'humble' Virgo). Leo is ruled by the Sun and MUST shine (the Pluto in Leo generation isn't called the 'Me Generation', for nothing'). It is attached and emotionally reactive.

Aquarius energy (where is Sun is now and opposing the Leo Moon) is the opposite side of the same coin.

It's the energy of "we". It is detached (this doesn't mean unaware or uninvolved) and emotionally non-reactive - note I mean the energy and not all Aquarius people, no one is just one thing! It doesn't need to feel special because it already knows it is special. It knows everyone is special (which kind of means no one is special, so you see where Aquarius energy is headed).

Ruled by Uranus, Aquarius is the sign of the genius, the rebel, the criminal. The Aquarius space in our chart is where things will work best by being 'outside the box'. It is unpredictable. Aquarius doesn't do humble either. It's hard for other people to relate to Aquarius as "one of us", too.

So, we have this opposition at any Leo Full Moon.

We come to this part of winter (in the northern hemisphere), and keep in mind, our Sun, the ruler of Leo, is in his detriment in Aquarius and he is all the way to 20 degrees now and he (as us) is just really needing this Leo Full Moon to recharge his (our) batteries!

Let's unpack the chart for this one!

The Moon is sextiling Juno, trining Eris and squaring Vesta. This is alot of activated feminine energy! And with Venus conjunct Lilith at the Aries point - makes me think a woman/women will be in the collective news now.

The Moon's square to Vesta is the only thing that is waning (in the past), so let's look at that one first. Keep in mind the Moon is in Leo - so creative/generous and also in need of lots of attention. And Vesta is in mid-Taurus, like "hey, pay attention to this really, really important stuff over here, like your money and your resources and your values, because Uranus is going to crash through here one day and maybe you might want to sort this all out for yourself first".

This could be about a situation where our priorities/commitments or our money/resources are not meshing with what we want to do!

At the same time the Moon has good aspects - and these are waxing, so building - with partnership and status conscious Juno (in serious and ambitious Capricorn) and "let's burn this whole thing down" Eris in "let's start something brand new" Aries.

So, we've moved through the square to Vesta - the tension/frustration around stagnant commitments and priorities (that thing that used to keep us up at night, the stuff we want to preserve at all costs that maybe we are now thinking about do we really need to be holding on here for dear life) and then here comes the partnership/status 

OPPORTUNITY (that sextile with Juno) that, yes, this will involve work and patience and maybe ambition and with Juno in Libra almost certainly taking a look at what is really fair and balanced, 

which releases the brakes (that trine to fiery Eris) via a challenge to be brave, to be first, to START - in order to change our life (Uranus ruler of this lunation via disposition), 

so that we can fully SHINE via love and creativity and us taking the center stage in our own life, which is ultimately what that Leo Full Moon is all about!

The Moon is trining and the Sun is sextiling an out-of-bounds Mars (he is beyond the path of the Sun, so not playing by the Sun's rules/limits).

We can find the courage/initiative to make the first move. To act in ways we might not normally act. We can be direct/assertive without being an asshole.

Keep in mind the Leo Full Moon is answering to the Sun (the Sun is the ruler of Leo) - and the Sun is in Aquarius. This makes the Leo Full Moon different from any other Full Moon, since for rulership we have to look at what the Sun is doing, ie answering to Uranus. So what is Uranus doing?

Uranus is in Taurus squaring Ceres (in Aquarius so also answering to Uranus) at 3 degrees.

So, we have unpredictable Uranus slowly making his way through Taurus - unsticking our stuck Taurean spaces, changing up our money/resources/values/self-esteem - and Ceres has moved into an exact square with him at exactly the time of this Full Moon. Coincidence? No.

Ceres in Aquarius is about unconventional nurturing. Nurturing through friends/groups/causes. Maybe through indifference/being left to our own devices. Ceres can also activate situations outside our control and cycle of life issues - in Aquarius, we can step back a little bit and detach from the emotions of this stuff. So, maybe we are a little more detached here or leaning a little more into unorthodox nurturing and then wham-bam we hit this square to the king of unorthodox - Uranus.

Are we all in or is this too much disorder/chaos? Maybe there could be a feeling like we are being ambushed somehow because Uranus is very unpredictable. But with Mars out of bounds and, so many active energies answering to Uranus, who in Taurus is answering to Venus in Aries and bringing us back to Mars - we can not only handle this (because we have been prepared for it, this isn't our first rodeo folks), we can THRIVE by taking action toward what we are passionate about, by being brave, by allowing ourselves to FEEL THE LOVE - the romance, the creativity, the children, the recreation, the risk - and focus on that, during times of instability. Venus is exactly conjunct Lilith, so the power balances/imbalances within relationships are activated. Female power is new and fresh and more about going after what we want, ie more active than attractive now.

And finally Mercury is trining the North Node in the Full Moon event chart (and this is a three-peat aspect, so there is more clarifying information to come).

Our conversations/words about the future are very important and moving us toward a more authentic/more stable/more emotionally fulfilling timeline (although it can seem to make us more vulnerable at first). Information could come in now that points us in this direction or confirms where we are headed. This probably won't be some big thing because trines are subtle. So pay attention. This has been a week all about powerful INFORMATION and receiving information that will matter later (because Mercury is walking degrees she/he will walk two more times in the upcoming weeks).

And speaking of walking, let's make sure we get out and walk in this one! We have seen all the things in the collective news that came to light, culminated and ended this week.

It's a powerhouse.

xo all

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday, February 6, 2020 - overblown emotions, go big or go home, nostalgia, we gotta feel what we gotta feel, reconciling the group and the home

The Moon continues her journey through her home sign of Cancer. She opposes Jupiter (overblown emotions, maybe things feeling better or worse than they are) at 4:13PM EST, trines Neptune at 8:15PM EST and inconjuncts the Aquarius Sun.

The Moon/Neptune is emotional. Sentimental. Nostalgic. We are not only feeling what we are feeling, we are feeling what that guy over there is feeling, too. At the same time the Moon is within a 'rock and a hard place' with the Aquarius Sun - this month's Waxing Inconjunct.

The Sun in Aquarius wants to detach/step back, maybe save humanity, but not necessarily that guy right there. So, the blending of these energies is tricky. Maybe we are feeling more vulnerable now; the Cancer crab without her shell. Aquarius/Cancer is not easily reconciled (and I am an Aquarius Sun, Cancer Moon, so know what I am talking about here).

Keep in mind any contact between the Moon and the Sun is a part of their monthly cycle and we are growing toward this weekend's Full Moon in Leo.

We want to feel what we are feeling. We want to keep moving forward without overthinking everything or thinking too far ahead.

Keep in mind always (and maybe particularly with the Moon here) our North Node - we need to take care of ourselves, we need to not judge our vulnerabilities (and other people's) as bad, in general we need to prioritize our comfort instead of our ambitions (home vs career).

With Venus at the very end of Pisces and moving into Aries on Friday (crossing the Aries point which should give us a zeitgeist moment and draw our collective attention to love, women/a woman, money, balance) - let's appreciate and celebrate this last day of Venus in her exaltation!

xo all

more in the weekly HERE

photo by the amazing evenliu

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, February 5, 2020 - getting comfortable with disorder, new information, new ideas about money and resources, absorbing inspiration and innovation, thinking ahead

Our Gemini Moon goes void off a square to Venus at 9:19AM EST. She will be void until 2:03PM EST when she comes home to Cancer - for the next couple days we will be nurtured through home, family, mom/mothering, real estate, our safety/security, country, renovation, home business, family business and taking care of our physical selves.

In Cancer, the Moon will sextile Uranus at 7:16PM EST and then move into a trine with Mercury (who is also sextiling Uranus) at 8:59PM EST.

Mercury (at 2 degrees Pisces now) sextiles Uranus in Taurus.

This is her/his first of three sextiles due to Mercury's upcoming retrograde - remember we are walking the first pass now, so the information/communications, etc, coming in now are VERY IMPORTANT. Mercury will sextile Uranus again on February 28th (while retrograde) and finally on March 22nd moving direct.

Pay attention to what is happening in your life (maybe especially around new ideas/communications regarding money, your resources, your values) because we will be going back and forth over this. Here's where knowing our natal chart will help us - what is the theme of our Pisces natal house? What is the theme of our Taurus natal house?

These themes are working together now to pull us forward. This can also be very literal/mundane - an Aquarius person and a Pisces person or an Aquarius person (or strong Uranus) and a Cancer person, etc.

The Moon in Cancer sextiling Uranus is all about us learning to be comfortable when things are unstable. The Sun in Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, so this sextile is even more impactful. Cancer/Aquarius is not uber compatible because one energy wants to attach and one energy wants to detach. So having this kind of powerful, and HARMONIOUS, connection now is something to pay attention to. 

What are you feeling? What are you thinking?

Mercury in Pisces is literally absorbing information and ideas, and touching Uranus, the planet of our higher mind and the group consciousness, this is some powerful stuff if we can move with the flow of this and not get too jammed up by our need to stay the same (or know what is going to happen) in order for us to feel safe.

Give yourself a break. And give other people a break, too. 

This is good energy to talk about/write about/think about our original ideas, especially in regard to those Cancer or Taurus themes - the home stuff mentioned early on and our Taurean money, resources, values, self-esteem - and most especially if these areas have been challenging because here is some FRESH ENERGY/CHANGE to shake things up.

February is going to be challenging, especially once we get into the middle of the month (and yes, I am doing a monthly) - we are going to need a soft space and some structure to hold onto, loosely, as we move through it.

xo all

With Trump, being Uranus, it looks like good news for him today. Especially now that the Senate vote has been changed, so it is not happening during the void Moon (the impeachment trial did start under a Void Moon, so the 'nothing coming of it' results shouldn't be too unexpected). I think too many astrologers are caught up in his personal chart challenges and not giving enough importance to the zeitgeist of the moment with him. Just keep in mind, Mercury is walking degrees he will walk again, so things here will not be as 'over' as they seem either ... also I would wager, with those crazy Iowa caucus snafus and strange "62%" reporting during last night's Neptune/Mercury lies and confusion (not to mention the fantastical State of the Union address) that those results are not quite what they appear either. I wouldn't be surprised if the 62%, although probably true numbers, were selectively chosen to bring a certain result to the public's attention (using the counties that help the more conservative/corporate friendly Dem). With Mercury about to station retrograde in illusive Pisces - it's going to be a long and winding road!

More in the weekly HERE

photo by the amazing sollenafotagraphie

Today's Astrology Forecast | Tuesday, February 4, 2020 - off the beaten path, keeping conversations light and forward leaning, misled by fantasy, facts vs beliefs, expanding our territory together

Our busy and communicative Gemini Moon trines the Aquarius Sun at 11:20AM EST - conversations, communications, short distance travel, siblings - issues here move smoothly forward. We are accepting of 'outside the box' people and situations/more open minded. Keep things light. Add humor. Apply beginner's mind (what if you don't know what you think you do know). Don't expect any deep dives through the truth or any emotional revelations, but if we keep communications and information light and quick, things should run smoother. Situations involving information/ideas/paperwork/errands within our local community (our New Moon agenda) can move forward today.

Gemini/Aquarius can take us off the beaten path.

The Moon moves into a square with Neptune at 2:50PM EST making information/communication less than reliable. There could be confusion/illusion.  Facts obscured and drifting. Fantasy vs reality.  

Double check everything you hear tonight. 

Finally, just after midnight EST the Moon moves into an opposition with Mars (in Sagittarius). The Gemini Moon wants to keep things moving - keep it light and local. Mars in Sag wants to go bigger/broader - isn't so interested in the details or those pesky facts, just knows what it knows. A clash of beliefs is possible now. A disagreement over the facts. The energies are ripe for a quick argument.

Also today we have Mars (in Sag) sextiling Juno (in Libra) at 21 degrees, creating opportunities through partnerships. If we are going bigger (expanding our territory, expanding our beliefs) we had best be doing it TOGETHER now.

xo all

See more in the weekly HERE

photo by the talented 1Maija

Astrology Forecast for Creatives | Week of February 3, 2020 - paying attention, our thinking changes, time to listen, real deal opportunities, an ending, good news, paying attention, did I say that already, yes I did and I see you are paying attention!

MONDAY - Mercury into Pisces, Venus sextile Saturn
WEDNESDAY - Venus square Galactic Center, Mercury sextile Uranus
FRIDAY - Venus into Aries, Ceres squares Uranus
SATURDAY - Mercury trine North Node
SUNDAY - Full Moon in Leo, Venus conjunct Chiron

Another powerful week with multiple inner planets changing signs - this will impact us personally as well as collectively - and a big Full Moon,

plus something to keep in mind - Mercury starts walking the degrees he/she will walk back and forth over during her upcoming retrograde - so the news and conversations, the stuff that is playing out NOW (for some Mercury will highlight sibling, local community, transportation, computer/communication situations) will be an indicator of what we will be dealing with for many weeks.

This week is the first pass, and sometimes the first pass only looks important in hindsight. With most of this retrograde happening in illusive Pisces, our best play may be to stay flexible, connected and compassionate. Know everything isn't as it appears to be, but trust that "Pisces magic" has our back now.

Also, we have three indicators this week of important messages coming through so WE NEED TO BE PAYING ATTENTION.

Whenever I am looking at a chart and especially a natal chart and I see something once, well it may or may not mean anything important. If I see it twice, I take note and if it shows up three times (multiple aspects indicating something similar) then I know I am seeing something important.

On MONDAY - Venus sextiles Saturn - this is in play through the beginning of the week. There could be a real deal opportunity here - something solid and lasting. Good for dealing with authority, making a commitment, stepping into our own authority, working with a mentor/someone older, etc. This is an opportunistic connection between our Cappy house and our Pisces house. Keep in mind Venus - ruler of money, love, our values and self-esteem - is EXALTED in Pisces.

The dream is real. The love is real. The money is real.

Look for the open door.

On the same day Mercury leaves airy Aquarius for watery Pisces - now the Sun is all alone in Aquarius - boy that was fast, wasn't it! Mercury, ruler of Pisces polarity sign of Virgo is in her/his detriment in Pisces.

At the same time Mercury is moving into Pisces, the Moon is moving into Gemini (ruled by Mercury) and this means Mercury and the Moon are squaring each other as they shift.

Our thinking changes. Dots get connected. Our intuition strengthens.

But at the same time our boundaries are down.

This makes me think of the corona-virus so we may get news of this spreading (with Mercury, ruler of health via Virgo going back and forth through "no boundaries" Pisces, over the next couple months we could see more of this spreading) - BUT remember what we talked about during the eclipses and what happened then being a foreshadowing of our next six months - stuff seeming very alarming, very fast and then petering out, so we will have to see. Mercury rules Gemini as well as Virgo and ideas and information can spread with Mercury in Pisces, too, not just germs!

Keep in mind Virgo's Mercury likes things clear and concise - she wants B to follow A and is sure things would move more efficiently if everyone would just dot their i's and cross their t's. Pisces (ruled by Neptune and ruler of our collective 12th house) is the space where rules/boundaries are more fluid. B might follow A. But just as easily A could drift right on past B.

It is the space of imagination, universal love, our dreams, spirituality, our connection to each other through the ethereal realms and our emotions, the ways we escape, the things we do last, the things we put away, addictions, delusions, hospitals, prisons, addicts, victims, saviors, martyrs.

You can see how fast-moving Mercury could be a bit out-of-whack here.

So maybe our thinking slows down a bit. Our words drift off course. We started to say this and then we are saying that. The words that were so clear and crisp in airy Aquarius, don't come as easily because maybe we start feeling their impact on the other person now. Or maybe we start feeling like one of those old anti-drug commercials but instead of eggs - it is our brain frying on the sidewalk. 

Details might be fuzzy. Our thinking might be, too.

With Pisces ruler of the last house of the zodiac maybe a conversation comes to an end now. Our natal Pisces house - what house has Pisces on the cusp in your natal chart? - a space we are naturally inclined to more dreamy, Piscean ways - suddenly WAKES UP.

Our attention goes there. 

This is wonderful energy for artists, poets, musicians, meditation, spirituality, healing. With Mercury (ruler of Gemini) in this universal space our words can cast even more powerful S-P-E-L-L-S - keep this in mind.

As our cognitive thinking slows down, our intuition speeds up. With Mercury in Pisces - it's time to LISTEN.

Due to her upcoming retrograde Mercury will be in Pisces until April 11th.

With the Moon in Gemini early this week we will be busy. Errands. Things to do. Decisions to be made. New choices/new information.

On WEDNESDAY - Mercury, who has had a couple days to get his feet wet in Pisces by now, will sextile (opportunity) Uranus in Taurus. We could get unexpected (good) news. Conversations will be forward/future leaning. We are thinking outside the box. Having flashes of genius. Wake up calls and unexpected solutions/understanding are possible now. Good surprises are possible.

At the same time, Venus, at the very end of Pisces, is squaring the Galactic Center (black hole at the center of our Galaxy,. seat of creation) - we will have to see/feel how this plays out for us, but I would suspect, coming at the same time as the Mercury/Uranus - we could be dealing with something that puts our back against the wall to give us something to push against if we are needing to move in a new direction.

It's time, and fast approaching PAST time, to be focusing on what we have gained rather than what we have lost.

The Moon is in Cancer now - moving our focus to home, family, real estate, home business, family business, mother - and making nice with Mercury in Pisces and Uranus in Taurus.

On THURSDAY - we have a fast moving emotional water trine. Then the Moon moves into opposition with the Capricorn planets, so there could also be a 'no' with something today or on Friday. Maybe a roadblock or an ending.

On FRIDAY - Venus moves from Pisces (where she has been exalted) into Aries, where she is considered in her detriment (since she rules Aries polarity sign of Libra). Now we have two of our three inner planets in their detriment.

Aries Suns and ascendants (first house Aries) become more attractive - both able to attract what they want and easier on the eye. Everyone's Aries house becomes more attractive, too.

In Aries, Venus functions best when she puts herself first. With Venus in Aries, we will need to take into consideration "what's best for me?".  

We attract what we want by going after it! By being brave. By having a beginner's mind. Through men and masculine energy.

In Aries, Venus is a WARRIOR (and love might be a battlefield ... cue Pat Benatar).

Something to keep in mind as we give ourselves permission to go after what we want (always that fly in the ointment) is the impulsive nature of Aries. If Venus was always in Aries our relationships would last 15 minutes and the things we bought/valued would very quickly fall out of favor and we'd be on to the next thing. Maybe not such a good long-haul energetic, but as a transit, ie transitory, Venus in Aries can get on with the business of getting us what we want in a very effective manner. Just keep in mind some of what Venus in Aries accumulates will not be so long-lasting.

Venus will be in Aries until March 4th.

Ceres (in Aquarius) squares Uranus (in Taurus). It can be hard to fit in/hard to feel boxed in. A Ceres situation - cycle of life, nurturing, etc or something having to do with our Aquarius natal house theme - could get a shake-up. For the collective this could be some kind of planetary wake up call.

On SATURDAY - Mercury trines the North Node (in Cancer). Here is news/information/a conversation that points us toward our future - a more authentic future. PAY ATTENTION. This is building all week and at play in Sunday's Full Moon. Keep your ears and eyes open for a message/messenger. With Mercury in Pisces, this could be intuitive information. We can understand and glide forward easily. No pushing will be needed.

On SUNDAY, we have Venus conjunct Chiron (loving ourselves wounds, warts and all) as the Aquarius Sun opposes the Leo Moon at 20 degrees giving us this month's Full Moon in Leo.

We'll talk about this one in its own post later in the week!

*****

As always keep in mind the bigger picture - Saturn is past Pluto. We are past the death. And past the place in the game where we always died before. Permanent endings. No going back.

Some early Cappy placements still have this to play out as Mars crosses the South Node over the next couple weeks

and we all will be triggered as Mars hits Pluto and the degree of last month's Pluto/Saturn conjunction in March. 

In the meantime this is a big information week - SO PAY ATTENTION.

xo all - will get up the monthly after the Full Moon post!

photo by the talented Elif Karakoc

Today's Astrology Forecast | Friday, January 31, 2020 - opportunities through talks, meetings and communication, long void moon, expect the unexpected tonight and tomorrow morning, birthing our future

The Moon in Aries squares Pluto and Saturn in the early morning hours EST (power plays, safety concerns, tension/frustration with goals and authority, on the upside maybe we are pushed toward courageous action)

and then goes void at 10:10AM EST off a sextile (opportunity) with Mercury.

If you have something to communicate that requires courage/confidence or independent/rational thought this would be good energy. The Moon will be void until 7:28PM EST when she moves into Taurus (the sign of her exaltation). She will hook up with 'expect-the-unexpected' Uranus at 1:09AM EST.

Ceres moves into Aquarius today.

Due to her upcoming retrograde (in Pisces and Aquarius) she won't leave Aquarius for good until early November, so we (through Ceres) get a good long visit here. Ceres rules the planet, maternal issues, childhood issues, security issues. Ceres rules the seasons and carries the energy of "impermanence" - nature's promise of security through the death and rebirth cycle/the seasons of our life. Ceres in our natal chart indicates a space/theme of our life where much will lie outside our control. In Aquarius, nurturing becomes more even-handed and all-welcoming, but also more detached. Mom is not so much offering milk and cookies as rational advice and, well, maybe cookies, we all like cookies, but you get the idea.

Challenging cycle of life issues may get easier to deal with as we allow ourselves a little emotional, and maybe physical, distance from the situation. We could find nurturing coming through our groups/causes/the internet/technology. Ceres rules food and today's move into future-focused Aquarius could be a good time for a fresh eating plan.

Ceres long 2020 journey through Aquarius is helping us birth (Ceres) our future (Aquarius). Good for tech advances that benefit the planet. We'll talk about this more as we move through it.

To sum things up - the long void Moon today could make things wonky - don't get all stressed over stuff that will quickly blow over anyway or is outside your control. 

Communicate and connect early in the day - there are opportunities here. 

Use the rest of the day for routine work. Don't start anything brand new. Time gets stretchy. 

The Taurus Moon's conjunction with chaotic Uranus could brings some surprises tonight and into the weekend!

My sister is coming into town tomorrow - YAY! My plan is to get a February monthly up by Monday - fingers crossed.

- xo all

photo by the talented nylonjuvenile

Today's Astrology Forecast | Thursday, January 30, 2020 - forward movement, go go go, one step at a time, avoiding restless legs, keeping a cool ahead, move your body, do it yourself

This day is all about the Aries Moon.

The Moon continues her monthly journey through Aries - sextiling the Aquarius Sun (this month's waxing sextile) at 9 degrees at 2:49AM EST, squaring Jupiter at 9:54AM EST and trining Aries ruler, Mars, at 8:49PM EST.

There is energy, initiative, forward motion and courage here, as well as the energy for simmering resentments to explode, if we don't give all this Aries/Mars something to do - so keep that in mind, too.

The Waxing Sextile through Aries/Aquarius encourages independent or pioneering action. Sextiles unfold gently. If you need something with lots of moving parts to get done, break it down into smaller steps and get started. If you need to take a big step, break it down into a series of smaller steps. Make your next best move. Don't think ahead to move thirty seven and why this isn't going to work. Just make your next best move.

The challenge (square) with Jupiter in Capricorn indicates some friction/tension with a goal or career/authority (or the theme of your personal natal Cappy house). Fire squares are passionate/sometimes angry and Jupiter can make us want to do too much/too soon or bite off too big a chunk. The best use of this Jupiter is courage/optimism. Again keep going. Don't look too far ahead right now and get caught up in the dis-empowering "what ifs" - KNOW there are better days ahead for all of us. Because there are. Faith is our friend, folks.

The best news for that Jupiter square will be the Moon's building trine to Aries ruler Mars. This is roadblock removal IF we take action. We can't just sit around with this energy or we will be miserable and antsy and maybe looking for a fight. 

Again get moving. What is your next step? The Moon is growing and your plans should be, too.

If you don't know what to do, that's ok, just DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. Get yourself into the vibe of pleasure - there is alot today's skies can do with that!

Move your body and change your life.


xo all

photo by the talented RaphaelleM

Today's Astrology Forecast | Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - not taking things too personally, new projects and initiatives, partnership agreements, cooperation, accepting someone else's support

The Moon moves into "let's get something started" and 'I want to be first" Aries at 6:51AM EST.

She will conjunct hurting/healing Chiron early in the day, so there could be a situation that triggers an old sensitivity around our identity/brand, so DON'T TAKE THINGS TOO PERSONALLY. The Moon is fast moving though and not given to too much sentimentality in Aries, and with no other aspects to pile on, we should sail right through this and the rest of the day. It could feel almost like a void Moon in that time gets stretchy and we can get alot done (not the 'nothing comes of it part though - things can come of what we do now!).

We are building toward the Aries Moon's sextile with the Aquarius Sun, so doing things our unique way, using innovation/technology and combining the energy/enthusiasm of the beginner with the intellect/advanced-thinking of the seasoned pro will create opportunities to move things along quickly.

In Aries, the Moon is nurtured through initiative, action, men. We will be feeling how things affect us personally and want to avoid being too selfish or too impulsive over the next couple days.
 
Mercury (in Aquarius, too) trines Juno at 21 degrees Libra. Good for freedom/innovation within our relationships and partnerships. Smart and forward-leaning alliances and conversations. Good for contracts and coming to an agreement. Mercury in Aquarius allows us to think out of the box and along with the Moon in fiery Aries move forward with whatever we have going on with a partner, client, someone we have hired, a co-worker, a group, something/someone on the internet, etc.

Maybe we are detaching just enough from an issue to be able to bring a situation into balance/cooperation.

Maybe we are ready to commit (we can maintain our individuality, too) and/or to accept someone else's support now.

Individually, and together, we can do this.

xo all

photo by the talented riskonelook

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Today's Astrology Forecast | Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - confusion, delusion, the need to rest, maybe a disappointment or maybe the fight dissolves, keep moving forward

The Moon is very active in Pisces today - she hooked up with Neptune at 4:33AM EST, Venus at 6:01AM EST and then sextiles Pluto (5:20PM EST) and finally goes void off a sextile to Saturn at 8:08PM EST. Good for tangible results tonight. Dealing with authority/goals. Creative work. Compassionate work.

Working with Piscean themes or the theme of your natal Pisces house.

Pisces rules our collective 12th house of what is hidden and put away, the ways we self-sabotage because from our vantage point in our 1st house we can't see what's behind us/don't know what we don't know, illusions and delusions, escape, sacrifice, our addictions, our imagination, music, art, lack of boundaries, connection, compassion, charity, hospitals, prisons, the things we do last, the things we have forgotten, our distant pasts, our ancestors, water, sleep, illness, healing, spirituality ....

Mars' square to Neptune becomes exact (with Venus just moving off her conjunction to Neptune and square to Mars - but both still in play).

Mars is our passion, our initiative, our action, our anger. Neptune is our longing to lose our separateness and merge with the greater whole. It's our quest for Eden, the draw to return to the vanished magic of the womb - to God, to the source of life. It's about everything we can feel and nothing we can touch.

Maybe Mars, in the middle of optimistic and 'bigger-is-better' Sag (although tempered quite a bit by Sag ruler Jupiter in Cappy this year) might hit a foggy roadblock with Neptune. Confusion. Maybe dishonesty. Exhaustion. A need for rest. A need for art/music/God.

Some people might feel like the rug has been pulled out from under them this week.

In Sagittarius, disappointment could be something like, "I hoped it would be this way, but it's not". With Neptune, disappointment could be something like, "I hoped this would be real, but it's not".

Neptune dissolves limits and boundaries and Mars in Sag can be impulsive and fast-moving, so we need to stay focused on reality or we might not see we have passed that warning sign that said ROAD OUT. If our faith (Sag) has been misplaced, we could be really far out there by the time we realize we have run out of asphalt. Yes, Mars in Sag is answering to happy-go-lucky Jupiter, but in Capricorn Jupiter is answering to steely and sober Saturn. And the buck stops there. Our house needs to be built on bricks or there will be a hundred opportunities in 2020 for the wolf to blow it down. This square to Neptune is just one of them.

For other people/situations - where our faith has been placed in something real and we are on the right path to begin with - maybe the fight (Mars) dissolves (Neptune). Obstacles can liquefy (I guess spellcheck is with me on this one). We think we are going to have trouble with XYZ and suddenly XYZ isn't even there anymore. Keep in mind with Mercury in Aquarius we are prone to over-thinking and looking too-far-ahead anyway. The obstacles we think we see around the next bend may not even be there by the time we get to them.

With the Sun in Aquarius and the Moon in Pisces - one plus one might not equal just two. There is innovation and magic here. All the planets are direct and the Moon is waxing.

Keep moving forward.

xo all

photo by the amazing Julie-de-Waroquier

More in the monthly HERE. Working on the next 2020 post tonight!

Today's Astrology Forecast | Monday, January 27, 2020 - investing in our dreams, energy leaks and confusion, pushing without pushing, sensitivity, fighting ghosts, a focus on what is most meaningful

I haven't been doing the weeklies since I did a monthly for January which is HERE, but here are some of this week's aspects.

SUNDAY - Venus squares Mars
MONDAY - Venus conjuncts Neptune, Black Moon Lilith into Aries
TUESDAY - Mars squares Neptune
WEDNESDAY - Sun inconjunct North Node
FRIDAY - Ceres into Aquarius
SUNDAY - Venus sextile Pluto, First Quarter Moon in Taurus

We start the week - and this is in play until about Thursday - with Mars (in Sagittarius) squaring Neptune and Venus (they meet in Pisces at 16 degrees TODAY).

Venus is very active this week so relationship issues, money stuff, situations involving women, beauty, our values and self-esteem will be prominent. Neptune is also very active which can add magic, compassion, imagination, but also delusion, escapist tendencies, the blurring of boundaries.

We have antsy Mars charging through Sagittarius and (as us) figuring it out as he goes along. So now he runs into this Piscean square, and yes, it can bring tension and friction and confusion into this space that Mars wants to expand/explore, 

but on the flip-side, Mars is bringing initiative and action into our magical Piscean dream-space because Venus/Neptune in Pisces left to their own devices - would dream their lives away. 

Keep in mind Venus in Pisces is exalted. She has everything she wants here, so it might take a square from a fiery Mars in Sagittarius to get her, as us, moving - and we probably do need to be MOVING, because we aren't going to have all the planets full steam ahead for very long like we do right now, and the Moon is waxing (growing), too.

So, we have our beautiful annual meeting of Venus and Neptune - this is excellent energy to fall head over heels in love. Also to be swept off our feet and carried away by whatever catches our fancy now. Keep in mind if you feel a powerful attraction to something/someone it could very well dissipate as this transit unwinds itself, so don't run off to Vegas or spend a bundle of money just yet.

It can be hard to know what is real. We could be lied to, be lying to someone else (or to ourselves) or just think we are being lied to. There is confusion, misinformation, rumors.

Transiting planets aspecting each other in Pisces will draw our attention here (especially if they touch our natal planets or points or duplicate aspects we have in our natal chart), and we will have the Moon in Pisces, too, now -

BUT keep in mind your natal Pisces house has ALWAYS been the part of your chart where your boat isn't so tightly tethered to the dock. This isn't a rock-solid, stable area of life for you anyway. Venus, boosted by the tension of the Mars square, will bring our attention to any situations brewing here, but it's not like these energies are coming into a neat and orderly place and kicking up a mess.

Drugs and alcohol will have a heightened effect - I am sure even cold medicine, so be careful. Also our boundaries are thin and germs can spread very easily, so keep this in mind.

All this Pisces smoke and mirrors could feel defeating to Mars (as us) blasting through the middle of Sagittarius - maybe our energy/passion is diluted. We could feel drained. Confused. It could feel late in the game and it is late in a very challenging month and we could be tired. 

There is almost a kind of test here. Pushing won't work with all this Neptune. What do we want?

Also on Monday, Black Moon Lilith, finishing up a complete cycle through the zodiac, enters the first sign of Aries. BML is the radical (is being an independent female radical?) first wife of Adam - pre-Eve - the one who said adios muchacho and split (or was exiled from the garden for disobedience). Over the next few weeks, and maybe something today kicks this off as we begin this transit - we might find ourselves facing a situation where we have to assert ourselves and this assertion could feel uncomfortable or like we are doing/did it all wrong. Then maybe we say "well, I won't do that again" ... and then, of course, we find ourselves having to do exactly that, and not until we "get it right", but until we can do it without the discomfort. Until we understand that we aren't being selfish when we are being self-assertive. Other people will model this for us, too. If we have a fear of being in charge, but have a desire to do so, this might be the transit - over the next few weeks - when we move in this direction. And keep in mind Black Moon Lilith represents female energy that breaks the rules, so stories about this and repressed anger (at being rejected/left behind) that won't be able to be repressed anymore will be in the collective news ...and playing out in our own lives.

The Moon is in Pisces until Tuesday night and will sextile (opportunity) Jupiter in Capricorn on Monday night at 8:13PM EST.

I have Mars square Neptune in my natal chart and I know it can make us want to give up/keep us stuck in the emotions of the past/dilute our passion. But it can also give us the courage to serve a higher purpose/creativity. Keep your eyes (and your words) on the FUTURE. We could spend Mars/Neptune fighting ghosts and waste the beauty and compassion and love of Venus/Neptune this week.

Take advantage of the Aquarius Sun - use logic to see through the confusion. Aquarius rules groups. Where is your tribe? It's not just children who need a village.

Venus/Neptune is asking us to reconnect with our hearts and other people's hearts, too. To focus on what is meaningful to us. To feel the power in creative expression. That square to Mars can be used to energize the whole thing. Venus (our money, resources, values, self-esteem) is asking us to invest in our dreams (Neptune).

And bringing all this Pisces down to its most 3D mundane level we could be dealing with the theme of your Pisces natal house and water, leaks, meditation, music, art, wet weather, colds and flu, boundary issues, insects, hospitals, healing, spirituality, endings, the past, things/people that have been put away, things can slip away now so hold onto your wallet, etc - you get the idea.

Stay focused. Expect people to be more sensitive. The planets are all direct and the Moon is waxing. It's a time for action. The veils are very thin now. We can reach right in and pull out some MAGIC.

xo all

photo by the talented soppotea

Today's Astrology Forecast | Saturday, January 25, 2020 - setting our intentions, the future vs that death grip on what we have now or what we've lost, walking our talk, chilling out, getting some rest

The energy of the New Moon in Aquarius is pulling us forward. She will sextile Mars at 1:34PM EST and she goes void off a conjunction to Mercury at 2:06PM EST. The Moon will be void until 6:44PM EST on SUNDAY, so that gives us plenty of time to CHILL OUT. 

At the same time the Moon is talking to Mercury and Mars they are talking to each other in an opportunistic sextile - a day to walk (Mars) our talk (Mercury). Our words and our actions are in flow. With Mercury in Aquarius (logical, future-thinking) and Mars in Sagittarius (adventure, expansion, going out on a limb), and we talked about this in the New Moon post HERE, this is part of the energy of the next two weeks that is about us stretching into something NEW. 

Mercury is squaring Vesta.

So again, we need to stop talking/thinking about the past. We need to take a good look at that thing we are holding onto with a death grip because a focus on safety/security at all costs is really going to cost us in the long run!

Is what we have really that important that we need to go to such great lengths to preserve/protect it or would our energy, our money, our resources, our time - be better spent in another way? With Vesta in Taurus - the space in our chart that holds the really important stuff (the stuff we are literally designed in this lifetime to prioritize) - in Taurus, she, as us, can get so caught up in this holding on thing, we probably need a square to an Aquarius Mercury to stop and think if we really still need to do/have/to be this stuff anymore.

We might also get some news now that rattles our security. In detached Aquarius, Mercury allows us to take a step back (if we allow ourselves this space), but Vesta in Taurus is trying like hell to hold on. We don't want to be all "take this from my cold, dead fingers" because yes, Uranus, ruler of Aquarius is squaring the Sun and, maybe now or maybe when Mars gets here, will do, or has done, just that!

Use logic. The future ahead of us is so bright it would blind our eyes to see it now, so we can't.

Or use Venus because at the same time -

Venus (ruler of our resources, love, money, values and self-esteem) is sextiling Vesta.

So there is harmony/opportunity here and with Venus in Pisces the ability to feel beyond our current borders and 3D world. Connection. Love that is bigger than two people. Magical resources we can line up with. The ability to focus on what is pleasurable and beautiful. I know two people with Venus/Vesta exact sextiles and one works all the time and the other doesn't want anything to do with work, so we might find ourselves feeling one way or the other right now!

Saturday looks like a time to go out with friends, hang on the internet, chill, think and talk about the future, give some thought to what you are putting your time/resources into and what needs to change here. The skies are still dark. SET YOUR INTENTIONS BEFORE THE VOID MOON. Think seeds in the ground time. In Aquarius, your thoughts and your words are your seeds.

If that dark Moon in Cappy has exhausted you (it WAS exhausting), give yourself a break. Sunday is a day made for rest anyway and tomorrow's void Moon - which starts this afternoon - is just what we need. The North Node is still in Cancer - we have to prioritize self-care and nurturing. Chicken soup. A good movie. A day with some paints and a canvas. Move your body. Rest your body.

Whatever it takes.

xo all

photo by the talented RaphaelleM